Witnessing the rapid advancements in modern medicine, paired with the emergence of wearable technology, mobile apps to monitor personal health and the rise of digital programs to replace traditional health plans -- healthcare remains one of the most progressive industries in the global economy.

With the expansion of the Affordable Care Act, incentives were created for healthcare programs, encouraging healthcare organizations to implement digital preventative medicine to reduce the number of patients in hospitals. Shifting the primary focus to integrated healthcare solutions not only trims the high costs of insurance premiums, but further allows at-risk patients to be identified and treated more immediately, using data as a predictive tool for discovering and treating illnesses prior to hospital admission.

One startup at the forefront of this digital shift is Provata Health. Provata provides companies with a proprietary,
team-based digital healthcare program to produce long-term health and behavioral results for employees in the workplace. The 25-person team consists of professors of medicine, physicians and programmers. These specialists collaborate to develop original digital technologies, digital healthcare programs and specialized curriculum to serve the health needs of men and women within each respective company. “Based on 25 years of research by our physicians, we really felt that companies in general needed a clinically validated, evidence-based solution that works,” Provata Health CEO Alex Goldberg told Forbes. “We believe digital health programs have the potential to be even stronger, so we strive to develop teams across offices and organizations to truly transform workplace wellness on a more global scale.”

Using Provata's "Healthy Team, Healthy U" platform, teams of 4-7 employees meet virtually or in-person once a week. Employees use real-life scenarios to work through common health goals designed to connect proven knowledge to action. “Traditionally, workplace wellness programs have counselors, but we understand that employees are more influenced by their colleagues than coaches,” Goldberg stated. “By allowing employees to work through the curriculum together and give each other much needed social support, each team member feels not only accountable to themselves, but their colleagues as well.”

As the global economy expands and the dynamics of the modern workforce evolve, so must the methods for cultivating a culture of health in the workplace. With more tools, access and emphasis on big data, there is a push for healthcare companies to adopt digital wellness programs that are driven by trusted research and guarantee sustainable health and behavioral improvements. In today’s mobile economy, companies are actively modifying their infrastructure to account for the growing number of freelancers, intrepreneurs, remote teams and pilot offices. Thorough analytics, coupled with solution-based software and years of compiled studies, digital preventative medicine offers companies a results-driven alternative that eliminates the inefficient aspects of caregiving.

Seeing substantial success partnering with big businesses to improve health amongst employees, Provata has plans to expand and make digital preventative medicine a common form of treatment prescribed by physicians in hospitals and clinics worldwide. “We’ve been fortunate to work with many notable companies and have covered hundreds of thousands of lives utilizing our program already,” stated Goldberg. "Our job now is to make sure our digital health program can scale to millions of users and truly become the way our world approaches improving the mental and physical health of people in the workplace."

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